Thursday, September 26, 2013
Child’s Warning Allows Firefighters Time To Rescue Trapped Apartment Residents
Lawrenceburg firefighters were able to pull five victims, including three children, from a burning apartment complex early Wednesday morning, thanks in large part to the quick actions of a young boy.
Investigator Shayne Adams of the Lawrenceburg Fire Department said that firefighters were dispatched to Oak Grove Apartments, 405 Oak Street, at around 2:00 a.m.
Eight-year-old Johnathan Bent, had been staying with an elderly female resident in the downstairs apartment where the fire ignited. He reported that he had been awakened by the sound of the woman’s cries and ran to help. The woman reported that she had fallen asleep while smoking, resulting in the blaze.
Bent got some water and tried to extinguish the blaze himself. When he was unsuccessful he ran door-to-door, alerting neighbors to the fire. While one resident used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to squelch the flames, another was able to take the elderly woman to safety.
Adams said when firefighters arrived the flames had already spread from the downstairs apartment to the second floor. Several residents, including Bent’s two sisters, were trapped inside.
A rescue operation was quickly launched. One team of firefighters was able to use ground ladders to retrieve two adults from their second floor bedroom.
Meanwhile, a second team entered the structure and found that the stairwell was engulfed in flames. They were able to knock back the flames, make their way up the stairway, and rescue three children. Two had to be handed down from a balcony to Lawrenceburg police officers waiting below.
The elderly female resident was transported by the Lawrence County Ambulance Service to Crockett Hospital where she received treatment for smoke inhalation. A second resident received treatment at the scene for minor smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.
Lawrenceburg Fire Chief Jay Moore said that Bent’s warnings allowed for a quick response time by members of his department. “Thanks to this young boy’s warnings and the department’s quick response time,” he said, “I believe we avoided several fatalities.”
Moore said that a portion of the operation’s success could be attributed to the number of firefighters that were on-shift at the time. “We had seven men on-shift rather than the five man minimum,” he said. Without being properly staffed, the rescue efforts would have been slowed, causing a greater chance for negative results.
More commended all who participated in the operation saying, “These men did an outstanding job, putting their lives on the line to save these folks.”
Members of the local chapter of the American Red Cross assisted at the scene as well, and are now providing assistance to seven families affected by the fire.
Chapter Executive Ginny Benson reports that her department is providing services for not only the 27 victims of the apartment fire, but for 5 individuals displaced during two other fires within the same twenty-four hour period.
One family resided at an Aaron Branch Road home, also destroyed by fire early Tuesday morning.
“This brings the total to a record 32 people in local Red Cross care at one time,” Chapter Executive Ginny Benson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the abilities of the chapter and its supporters that make our response and care efforts possible.”
